Every Rose Has Its Thorns  Rewrite
by V-Roxie-V
Summary: The rewrite of that terribly written story 'Every Rose Has Its Thorns'. Cleaned up, shorter, hopefullybetter written...Summary inside.
1. Summary, Alliances, Rants

**Title:** Every Rose Has Its Thorns

**Series Length:** Trilogy

**Series Volume: **One

**Successor:** Burning Roses, Silver Thorns

**Predecessor:** None.

**Genre(s):** Romance/Drama

**Author:** .T-Roxie-I.

**Obligatory Disclaimer:** This is a fanfiction of the Warriors series written by Erin Hunter, published by Harper Collins (I...I...think...). And the story idea came to me when I was reading a work called 'Mars' written by Fuyumi Soryo – but you don't even have to know who the heck Fuyumi Soryo is to understand this story. This _isn't_ a crossover.

**Series Summary: **Rosepaw and Thorntail couldn't be more different. Rosepaw's quiet, shy and pacifistic, blends into the background, and is terrified of tomcats. She's pure of blood - in fact, she's the daughter of the Clan leader. Thorntail, on the other paw, is loud, violent and has a knack for having all eyes fixed on him – especially those of she-cats. He also couldn't have a more mucky heritage if he had planned it. She's a medicine cat. He's a warrior. Besides being members of ThunderClan these two have nothing in common, yes? Wrong. Both of them have terribly tragic pasts. Something was taken from deep and inside of both of them, leaving wounds so deep they never show…but they never go away. But when forbidden romance sparks between them, and they begin to overcome the darkness that tugs at both their paws…they learn not only to love each other, but themselves.

**Time Period:** Heh heh...I like the old territory better, so this story takes place LONG before One-eye is even mewling for milk.

**Author's Note: **Okay, right. I'm breaking most of you into two groups now. I believe half of you are veterans to this series, and are only reading this to see the various changes I have made…To you I say 'Oh, Thank StarClan you're here!' You all know what you're getting into…

Then there's the other group. You are either totally new to this story OR you started reading the former copy of this story…and were disgusted by my writing style so you did the right thing and got the heck out of here! I'm sorry to say my style hasn't improved much, but…well, I just hope you'll stick around for this one - I think it will be a little better quality-wise. And by the way everyone, YES, if you wanted to, you could read ahead in the ORIGINAL of this story which will be taken down shortly. But why spoil the fun? I think this will be a better version, better written, better plotted, so you'll probably enjoy this clean-cut version more…but I could be wrong. Either way, I say to you 'Oh, Thank StarClan you're here!'

**Author's ****Warning**This fanfiction is rated _T_ for a reason. The tragedies my two little kitties have in their past_ isn't_ the average 'The traitorous Clan deputy, now leader, Blahstar, murdered my father Duhtail, and I'm angry about that…but now that I've killed Blahstar and avenged my father's death, I've moved on with my life.' That plot is all well and good - and if you have a fanfic like that, good for you! I've read several fanfics that have that storyline, and I must say I enjoyed them very much - Steeltalon's Cobra Chronicles, for instance, have a _similar_ plot to that (except it's more layered, and the villain, is like, awesome - and has a better name than Blahstar.) That chronicle is one of the best fanfics you'll ever read in your lifetime! I'm not belittling fanfictions that have a storyline like the one I mentioned above, I'm just saying that this one is a little..._different_.

Since I _don't _like things neat and orderly, I think I'll put the allegiances for ThunderClan _here._ I'm only putting up ThunderClan's alliances, by the way. The other Clans... eh. I'll describe the cats when we meet them, yes?

* * *

_ThunderClan Allegiances:_

**Leader:** **Streamstar**

_Pretty White She-cat with blue eyes_

**Deputy:** **Swiftfoot**

_Dark Tabby Tom with Amber Eyes_

_Mate: Sandpelt_

**Medicine Cat**: **Rosepaw**

_Scarlet-furred she-cat with blue Eyes_

**Warriors (In order of seniority) **

**Robinwing**

_Black she-cat with red chest fur. Pale green eyes_

_Mate: Howlingheart_

_Apprentice: Duskpaw _

**Howlingheart**

_Mate: Robinwing_

_Light brown tabby tom_

**Sandpelt**

_Pale ginger she-cat _

_Mate: Swiftfoot _

**Featherfrost**

_Pale silver she-cat _

**Lightheart**

_Light brown tabby she-cat_

**Shrewtail**

_Light brown tabby tom _

_Mate: Flowertail_

**Badgerclaw**

_Big, black and white tom with a narrow muzzle _

_Apprentice: Foxpaw_

**Icepelt**

_White-pelted female_

_Apprentice: Shadowpaw_

**Bearmoon **

_Big, pale brown tabby _

_Apprentice: Cheerypaw _

_Mate: Spottedlight _

**Spottedlight**

_Golden she-cat with unusual brown spots _

_Mate: Bearmoon _

**Featherfrost**

_Pretty silver she-cat _

**Gingerleaf**

_Ginger she-cat _

_Mate: Thorntail _

**Blackshadow**

_Smoky-black tom _

**Dawnshimmer**

Ebony-furred she-cat with golden-brown underbelly

**Applefur **

_Crimson-furred she-cat _

**Thorntail**

_Light gray tom with sapphire eyes _

_Mate: Gingerleaf_

**Queens **

**Scarface **

_Unattractive tawny-colored female_

_Mate: Private_

_(Kits: Scornkit, Grasskit)_

**Turtlefeather**

_Pale gray she-cat _

_Mate: Private_

_(Kits: Morningkit, Ebonykit, Aquakit, Raykit) _

**Flowertail**

_Pretty tabby _

_Mate: Shrewtail_

_Kits: (Onekit, Beak-kit, Vibrantkit) _

**Apprentices**

**Duskpaw**

_Dark brown she-cat, with a pale underbelly. Mentor, Robinwing _

**Foxpaw**

_Handsome ginger tom with a long tail. Mentor, Badgerclaw _

**Cheerypaw**

_Pretty tabby. Mentor, Bearmoon _

**Shadowpaw**

_Black tom. Mentor, Icepelt _

**Elders**

**Heatherpelt**

_Pale brown she-cat. The oldest cat in ThunderClan. _

**Blindeye **

_Pale golden tom._

* * *

_YAY DISORGINIAZATION!!!! _

Anywho's...

**Oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-I'm doing this: **Below, is a song…that goes eerily well with this story, so I decided to put the lyrics up. It is sung in a different language, so I doubt many of you have heard it… But it _is _a Taiwanese song called 'Zero' and it is sung by a Taiwanese singer named Alan Kuo. And I know, it looks like it doesn't rhyme…but in the Taiwanese language it does! It's just translated… And I know it doesn't fit with cats, but... if I changed the lyrics, it wouldn't be the semi-translated-correctly song, now would it?

_Never believed anything was beautiful in this world._

_Pain…loneliness…and a little bit of weariness._

_Prohibited from finding people as one wishes._

_Never let anyone into my zero-degree space._

_Rather…be alone than think of anyone else._

_When two people are together don't they only get a _little_ bit of comfort?_

_Escape…the past…then forget it all._

_Never thought one day my ending would suddenly change…_

_Who would take hold of my weak arms?_

_Why cry…?_

_(Who's wrong? Who's right? Who do you apologize to?)_

_Won't cry again…_

_(Who's wrong? Who's right? Who do you worry for?)_

_Enter a zero-degree space; wait for all to break…_

_Though love may be dangerous we'll face it together._

_It's too late to prepare for a promise never heard._

_How can I learn to accept a tomorrow with more love?_

_Exit a zero-degree space, everything's finally broken._

_Though love my tire me, I'll never forget it._

_Let down my defenses, nothing matters anymore._

_Escape the dark world, create a new tomorrow._

_A new tomorrow…_

**You might have enjoyed that, you might not have…but…I wanted to put something like that up…ALL THE OTHER FANFICTIONS DO IT! WHY CAN'T I!? –huffs- I hope you enjoy this rewrite… If you end up reading ahead into the other version of this…try not to give too much away, mmmkay? And remember to review. I likey reviewees... \**

**You all prepared? Yay. **

**Enjoy, **


	2. Chapter 1

**Golly-lolly. The first chapter of the rewrite. It took me forever, but I got around to it...am I happy with it? -hides in a box- No. I'm sorry... I think it's a little boring... I just sort of...drone on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on - you get the point. I focus to much on the backstory and stuff...yeah. But seriously, new-readers, it gets better! I swear not all my chapters will be like this! -hides in a bigger box- I hope...**

**Now...I guess I'll answer my reviews... from inside this box. **

**Rabbistorm - Yes, I will take it down...unless it proves to be better than this one. I admit that this chapter is bad, but it gets better! (as I swore earlier.) And Furrytail was rather pointless, and isn't needed for the story, so yes, I took her out. She had like five lines, and I think that Robinwing (who has a personality almost EXACTLY like Furrytail) will have the more-important ones. And Furrytail was a girl, not a 'he'. See, that's how unimportant she was. You didn't even know her gender. lol. -gives cookie- **

**George W. Bush SUCKS - It's a nice song. -nods agreement.- **

**Squirrelflightlover- Another familiar name! Oh, don't let this chapter fool you. This will be better than the other one - or at least it will have fewer typos. -pauses- Or..._will_ it? **

**Steeltalon - Thanks for the compliment, but I didn't write the song. I don't know who wrote it, but as I said, Alan Kuo sings it. Anyways, it does fit with Thorntail. Well, Every Rose Has Its Thorns is pretty much all about Thorntail and HIS issues...so...YAY! **

**Flamestar221 - Long chapters aren't always good. -jerks finger at chapter- See? Long, and boring. Your chapters are short, sweet, to the point, and frickin' amazing! That's what I loved... Speaking of, when are you going to update that Stormfur story of yours? **

**Peachfoot - You don't have to read it if you don't WANT to... -gives cookie for no reason- **

**Strangefur - YAY! CORRECTION! I love it when you help me out! I've learned lots about grammar and stuff from you! -gives cookie- Anyways, no. I doubt this will have 40 chapters. It'll probably be just as long though - longer chapters ( in the non-rewrite, some chapters were three pages, and stuff...) and it will be more...well to the point. Except this chapter! -tears hair out- WHY CAN'T I GET THIS CHAPTER RIGHT?! **

**Loyalflame - Thank you very much! -huggles- **

**Sapphirepaw - -gasp!- A new face! -hides in a REALLY BIG box- Welcome! I hope you enjoy... though...this chapter may turn you off... -repeats self- WHY CAN'T I GET THIS CHAPTER RIGHT! I wrote it over, and over, and over... UGH! -composes self- Anyways, welcome. -gives cookie- **

**lmblovesmilk - A happy dance?! YAY HAPPY DANCE!**

**Pearl.H.Sweden- Ah. You were the first reviewer. -gives cookie jar- **

**Anyways, enjoy... -tears more hair out- WHY COULDN'T I GET THIS CHAPTER RIGHT?! I think I may have made things a tad confusing - tell me if I did... um...and I also think I explained things too much... But...**

**My Username is .T-Roxie-I., and I'm an explanaholic.**

**I know I shouldn't say things like this on my FIRST chapter, but... Yeah. But the good news is, there's a lot less typos! xD Oh, and w****hen I change scenes of POV's, I have 'Thorn...Gray' in the center of the screen in italics...just so...you know. To make things neater - even though I don't like things neat...but...yeah. So...uh...**

**(try to) Enjoy, **

* * *

The sun was at its high point in the sky, beaming its warm golden light down upon the pale gray pelt of the tomcat as he slowly pressed one of his gigantic forepaws down on the earth. His blue eyes glinted as he looked at the looming sycamore tree before him. Now...what had his Clanmates called that tree again? 

It was a_ sycamore_ tree...and it was clearly_ great_ in size so_... The Great Sycamore!_

He wasn't as lost as he had thought. At least he knew what the patch of territory he was on was called. If only he could use that information to get back to camp. Or find one of his Clanmates on a hunting patrol to give him directions.

_Mouse-dung. Two moons as a ThunderClan cat, and I _still_ get lost in the territory! _He had been given a simple order: find the medicine cat, ask her officially about Swiftfoot's condition, and return to camp. But he would never complete the mission if he didn't know how to get back home!

He padded closer the sycamore tree, thinking that he might be able to figure out how to get back to the ThunderClan camp if he climbed it and got a full scope of the territory. But he stopped with one gray forepaw still hanging in the air, when he caught sight of what was sitting in the tree's shadow.

The scarlet-red pelt of the she-cat seemed to glow with its own light, even though it was hidden in the shadows. His Clanmate had her back turned to him and was hunched over, her tiny red paws shifting through porcelain-colored flowers, as if she was looking for herbs.

Thorntail blinked, and realized that she probably _was_ looking for herbs. The cat in the shadows was the medicine cat of ThunderClan. He knew her. Her name was Rose- rose... Thorntail didn't remember the second half of her name. Rose something or another...maybe that was it. Rosesomethingoranother.

Well, whatever her name was, the medicine cat would probably know how to get back to her camp, and therefore could give Thorntail directions! His mission blared in his mind, and he realized that he could ask her about Swiftfoot as well.

"Hey," he meowed taking a pawstep closer to her.

The medicine cat jumped up into the air, and whirled around to face him. Thorntail suddenly realized that in his full two moons of being a ThunderClan cat, he had never actually _seen_ Rosesomethingoranother up close. But now that he had, he couldn't really say she was anything special. She had plain rounded ears, a narrow muzzle, and a triangular face – pretty much the generic of all generic she-cats. Her thin jaw was firmly gripping a twisted twig that had black seeds stuck to its side by what looked like honey.

Thorntail stared into her eyes to talk to her more directly, and was suddenly taken back. Alright, she wasn't anything special at all in looks – except when it came to her eyes. The young she-cat had beautiful blue eyes that glinted like sapphires. Thorntail could see that clearly enough, even though the medicine cat's gaze instantly darted towards the earth beneath their paws when he tried to meet them.

_Tomcat, she's shy_, he thought.

He shook himself out of his thoughts of the medicine cat's looks, and instead meowed, "Um...right. Those poppy seeds are for Swiftfoot, aren't they?" he asked. "I could take them back to camp for you, if you like. Streamstar sent me to find you, and...Well, the Clan's been wondering if it's okay for them to see Swiftfoot. He's been in your den since sunrise _yesterday-ish_, and...nobody's had the chance to talk to you about him...and then you left for more supplies...so we were wondering his condition."

The crimson female just stared at the ground, and didn't answer.

"Is...Swiftfoot going to live?" he pressed. He sent a silent prayer to StarClan that Rosesomethingoranother's answer would be something along the lines of 'yes', but he had caught sight of the Clan deputy when he was dragged back to camp the day before. All that _beautiful_ scarlet blood streaming across his tabby fur...

Thorntail's heart started to race with excitement just thinking about it.

The cat that carried the first name 'Rose' still kept her sapphire gaze fixed on the ground as she nodded in answer to his earlier question.

Thorntail flicked his tail with glee. "Okay, so...can his Clanmates see him now? Because Sandpelt seemed really eager to check on him..." Sandpelt had seemed so impatient, that Thorntail wouldn't be surprised if she had already snuck into the medicine cat's den back at camp to visit her mate without Rose---'s permission.

Another nod.

Thorntail felt joy leap in his chest at the prospect of being able to see what the damage on the Clan deputy – and his friend – was. It would leave a lot less to the imagination. But even so, he couldn't help but feel a tingle of annoyance in his paws that this rose-colored she-cat refused to speak to him. So far, she hadn't said a single word. He knew medicine cats were known for being more shy and aloof than warriors...but this was just ridiculous!

"Well... I guess I'll go back to camp and tell everyone then..." he turned to do just that, when he remembered that he still had absolutely no clue how to get back to the home of ThunderClan. He pivoted to stare at the medicine cat again, and meowed softly, "This is embarrassing, Rose..." _Fox-dung!_ He had spoken part of her name without thinking. Now he'd have to finish it. Or try to... "Rose...rose...It's on the tip of my tongue to say Rose_paw_...but you are the only medicine cat in the Clan and don't have a mentor so that makes no sense..." He examined her closely. And she couldn't be an apprentice anyway – she looked to be the age of a young warrior. "Rose...rose... I'm sorry." He gave up. "I forgot your name. Tell me, what is it?"

The she-cat didn't answer. Silence.

Thorntail felt the fur along his spine bristle. What, couldn't she talk?! So weird... She could at least have the _decency_ to insult him for living in the Clan for two moons and now, but yet didn't know her name. _But no!_ She was being polite, and didn't have anything nice to say – so she wasn't saying anything at all!

What was wrong with her?!

As it was, Rosesomethingoranother was the only cat that he could find at the moment, and therefore was the only cat who could direct him back home. "Well, I guess I'll call you 'Rose' since that's all I know of your name... Rose, could _please honor me_ with your medicine cat wisdom, and tell me how to get back to camp from here?"

"Rose" as Thorntail had named her, simply flicked her tail towards a clump of ferns. Thorntail fixed his gaze on the green plants, and tried to figure out if the medicine cat had simply flicked her tail to dismiss him, or...

Thorntail's blue eyes rounded with understanding. Rosesomethingoranother was telling him that - "If I go through those ferns, and keep going straight, I'll eventually find the camp, right?"

The she-cat nodded, her scarlet head bobbing up and down in the shadows.

Thorntail kinked his tail in curiosity, still not sure at all why the medicine cat wasn't speaking. Could she even talk? He hadn't _ever_ heard her speak, actually. Not to him, not to any cat. Was she mute? He really wished he paid more attention to these types of things... He'd be a lot less confused.

"Well, thanks," he purred. "I might've wandered around out here for moons if it weren't for you."

To show his gratitude, he rested the tip of his gray tail on the red shoulder of the medicine cat.

Rose's eyes rounded, and with a squeak, she leapt away from him. Thorntail didn't even have time to feel surprised, as the female turned tail and pounded away from him, dropping her poppy seeds as she did so.

Thorntail watched her go, his tail still hanging in the air where her shoulder was just a heartbeat ago. "What was_ that _all about?"

_Thorn...Gray_

"Rosepaw?"

The medicine cat stumbled to a halt, her paws skidding clouds of dust into the air. She turned her head, and behind the wisps of rust-colored-dust floating in the air, she could see the ferns rustling – indicating the presence of a cat within. Rosepaw's fur bristled with an almost-instinctive fear...

She saw a white paw gingerly step out, and relief flushed through the medicine cat.

Rosepaw raised her sapphire gaze and recognized the owner of them in an instant: It was Streamstar, ThunderClan's leader. Her kin.

"Oh, hello mother..." Rosepaw murmured softly giving the ivory-furred she-cat a nod of respect.

Streamstar didn't return her greetings. The blue eyes that Rosepaw had inherited from her were glittering with worry. "I was about to go to the ShadowClan border to see the damage, when I saw you running...Is there something wrong?" Streamstar flattened her ears against her head and curled her lips into a snarl. "Did you see a WindClan cat on our territory? ShadowClan?" Both Clans had been pests to ThunderClan recently.

Rosepaw looked down at her paws, shamed. She hadn't been running from anything like _that_... It had just scared _her_... No other Clan cat would have run like she had from something so... inadequate.

"I just...I just saw that cat that I don't like."

Streamstar's tail curled with curiosity. "Who was it?"

"That-that RiverClan warrior you let join the Clan a few moons ago," Rosepaw told her. "He's...he's just some piece of fox-dung."

Rosepaw's words still hung in the air, as the ThunderClan leader lurched forward and wrapped her tail around her daughter's shoulders. Streamstar's voice was hoarse with fear as she growled, "Did he do anything to you?"

Rosepaw felt even more ashamed. She was so cowardly...running away from him just because... "He...he just asked for directions."

Streamstar stood beside Rosepaw for a few more heartbeats, and the apprentice kept her eyes firmly on her paws, feeling her mother's blank gaze shearing into her fur. Finally, Streamstar mewed an, "Oh," and unwrapped her tail from her daughter's shoulders as she stepped away.

"So he didn't do anything to you. What is there to get so upset about?" Streamstar asked, her voice calming, but somehow scolding at the same time.

Rosepaw still couldn't meet the white leader's aqua gaze. "I don't like him," she repeated.

Streamstar regarded her for a moment, and seemed to want to try and convince her otherwise by the way her mouth was moving soundlessly, but finally the white cat seemed to let the matter drop. Rosepaw was relieved. Her mother probably thought that she had absolutely no reason to dislike the gray warrior... But Rosepaw _knew_ about him. He acted more like a loner than a Clan cat at times, with little or no respect for the Warrior Code. He seemed to relish the thought of battle so much it was almost sickening... And worst of all, every time Rosepaw saw him the gray tom was wrapping himself around a new she-cat. Or...a new she-cat was wrapping herself around him.

Streamstar's voice knocked Rosepaw from her thoughts. "Were you out restocking your herbs?"

"Y-Yes. After the attack from WindClan the other day, I was low...and I only had one or two poppy seeds after Swiftfoot's injury yesterday. But luckily, I got mo-" she broke off, as she realized she had dropped her seeds when she had run away from Thorntail.

"Oh. Okay then..." Streamstar shrugged her shoulders. "Well...um...either way, I believe you should get back to camp. Spottedlight has been taking care of Swiftfoot in your absence but...she's not a medicine cat. _You_ are."

Rosepaw nodded. "I will..." she promised. "I just...have to go get more poppy seeds..." Rosepaw felt a sudden urge to leave and go on her quest, and she turned to do just that, but Streamstar's soft mew stopped her.

"Rosepaw, Swiftfoot was attacked by a ShadowClan patrol on our own territory...I don't want you wandering around out here without an escort. That's why I sent Thorntail – I thought I told him to bring you back to camp..." Streamstar let out a sigh, and Rosepaw half-expected her mother to order her back home and find a warrior to protect her, but she didn't comment on it any longer. Instead, she mewed quietly, "Spottedlight told me that Swiftfoot's leg is twisted badly... Rosepaw, is...is Swiftfoot going to be able to continue being deputy?"

Rosepaw looked at her mother sympathetically. Swiftfoot had been Streamstar's first deputy, and even though he hadn't died, she knew that the Clan leader would feel a lot of pain from what she was about to say.

"No."

_Thorn...Gray_

The sun was sending streams of golden light through the ferns of the medicine cat's den, as Thorntail asked, "And...You just lost consciousness?" while staring at the tabby cat lying on the moss-nest awe. He couldn't help but think about how strong Swiftfoot must be to still be alive with his wounds. Okay, so he couldn't see the slashes on the deputy's pelt that the ShadowClan warriors' claws had created because they were all covered with cobwebs...but given the fact that the cobwebs had to be placed quite literally all over the deputy's brown tabby fur made Thorntail inference that there were a lot of wounds. And fairly deep, if he had, in fact, lost consciousness.

Swiftfoot's amber eyes were narrow and clouded, as if he was in a trance. His tail was tapping lightly on the moss. He didn't seem like he was going to answer, so Thorntail pressed, "Swiftfoot?"

The deputy's eyes bolted open and he answered Thorntail's question as if nothing had happened, "Yup, just blacked out... _fox-dung_. We all still bear the marks of the WindClan warrior's claws from their attack on our camp yesterday, and now this... Two Clans yowling for ThunderClan blood. Just our luck..."

Thorntail grunted agreement as he wrapped his tail delicately around his paws. It was true – WindClan's new leader, Runningstar, had made his hostility against ThunderClan quite clear the day before when he had attacked them with little or no provocation from the Clan of sky. The ThunderClan camp still reeked of the pungent scent of WindClan. But now ShadowClan was attacking ThunderClan's border patrols for a reason that Thorntail could only _guess_ was that they somehow sense weakness. Every cat knew that ShadowClan could taste weakness in the air like Thorntail would taste a squirrel in his mouth.

Thorntail's sapphire irises suddenly found a foreleg of Swiftfoot hanging limply off of the bedding. He blinked thoughtfully. The deputy's leg was gnarled and twisted almost so that his front paw was pointing at the back paws.

"Your leg is twisted," Thorntail mewed, pointing out the obvious.

Swiftfoot's amber gaze inched towards his injured limb. "Yup, it's twisted alright." He gently rasped his pink tongue around it, as he continued, "But Spottedlight said that I'm lucky to be alive, so I guess I can't be too picky..."

"But you're Clan deputy..." Thorntail meowed carefully. "What are we going to do until you recover?"

"Recover?" Swiftfoot let out a raspy purr that seemed too hearty to not be forced. "That isn't happening in this lifetime, Thorntail. At least that's what Spottedlight said – though, she isn't a medicine cat, so I'm not completely sure...But if what she says is true, then I suppose I'm retiring..."

Thorntail looked at the (_former_?) ThunderClan deputy in surprise. How could he say that so easily? And how would the Clan take this news? Thorntail knew for a fact that Swiftfoot had been Streamstar's first and only deputy so far. And with the Clan in an unusually weakened state and at a peek of panic from the WindClan attack on camp and ShadowClan's single attack on a border patrol...

And most importantly, who would be the _new_ deputy? Ambition tugged at Thorntail's heart, but he knew that he hadn't been in ThunderClan long enough for any cat other than the _really_ dumb ones to trust him. Like all the she-cats...

Thorntail purred as he thought of the she-cats.

He focused all his attention on Swiftfoot as he realized that the cat was speaking again. "I was just renewing the scent markers while the other cats on patrol – Bearmoon and Cheerypaw - ran off to chase a thrush or something..." Thorntail found himself thinking of the pale brown tomcat that was Bearmoon, and his apprentice, Cheerypaw, a brown tabby, as Swiftfoot continued. "Well, before I knew what was even happening I felt something ram right into my side. It knocked me off my paws, and I was able to look up briefly to see a patrol of four or five ShadowClan cats staring down at me... Next thing I knew, I was in a lot of pain...and then I sort blacked out, and I woke up to you shaking me around like I was a piece of fresh-kill, and a new day had begun..."

Thorntail hardly heard the scathing tone Swiftfoot used as he finished the tale of his injury. Instead, his thoughts were all on the pounding roar of excitement that was yowling in his ears and streaming through his blood. Oh, Swiftfoot must have been afraid when he saw those ShadowClan cats...must have been terrified. Must've felt hatred for them... and willed to taste their warm, scarlet blood...and the sweet taste of revenge. But as it was it was the ShadowClan cats that had gotten to have all the fun. The fun of digging their fangs into an enemy's flesh, scouring their thorn-sharp claws across their already-bloody fur...

"Thorntail?"

And soon enough, the enemy was dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, _dead_... And one had the triumph of knowing that they had made a very great annoyance to their Clan disappear... And the dead cat padded off to their warrior ancestors to plot their own vengeance, and so it went for the rest of eternity...

"_Thorntail!_"

The gray tomcat was jolted out of his thoughts by the sharp screech from Swiftfoot. Thorntail rested his blue eyes on the injured warrior, and flinched away as he saw the amber gaze glaring furiously back at him.

"Quit looking like that!" Swiftfoot scolded harshly, weakly lashing a half-broken tail into the air. "Your eyes were cloudy, and you looked really spaced out... It's sick to be so interested in hearing about a cat almost dying."

"Huh? Oh..." Thorntail struggled for an answer. As he did, he couldn't help but wonder how Swiftfoot had known what he had been thinking about... Sure, the former Clan deputy had trained him how to hunt in ThunderClan territory and fight like a ThunderClan cat... But that didn't mean he could read his mind... Or..._did_ it?

Finally, Thorntail just shrugged his broad shoulders. "Sorry,"

Swiftfoot looked like he had more to say, but before he could get the words out of his mouth; a cat came thudding into the entrance of the den. Thorntail twisted his neck around to glance behind him, and he realized that it was not one cat – but two. A tawny furred she-cat along with a companion of another female with sun-colored fur dotted with light brown blotches.

"Spottedlight." Swiftfoot greeted cheerfully, nodding at the brown-blotched female. He then turned his attention to the other she-cat, and let out a rumbling purr. "Sandpelt!"

Thorntail recalled that Sandpelt was Swiftfoot's mate as the pretty warrior dug her muzzle into the deputy's cob-web-covered side.

While the two cats whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears, Spottedlight turned to Thorntail. He met her yellow gaze evenly as she meowed, "Did you find the medicine cat?"

"Yeah," he meowed truthfully with a dismissive flick of his tail.

Spottedlight's yellow orbs lit up with delight. "Joy!" she purred bunching her muscles together and finally launching herself into the air. Thorntail watched her, letting some joy glint in his eyes as she tumbled back down the earth. Thorntail gave his flank a few licks to keep it from bristling as the memories rushed through his head. He would never deny that the night he and Spottedlight had called each other mates, had been a good one.

Spottedlight seemed to struggle to regain her composure as she gave her ears a self-conscious wash. When she was finished, she meowed, "So...you found her." She glanced around. "Where is she?"

Thorntail shifted uncomfortably. "Uh...she_ was_ at the Great Sycamore."

"Oh..." Spottedlight looked thoughtful.

"Do you know where she is now?" Thorntail asked hopefully.

The ThunderClan she-cat's eyes narrowed into thoughtful slits, and her tail thudded against the earth in a rhythmic beat. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "No, I don't. Where is she?"

Thorntail flattened his ears against his head. "I have no idea. I was hoping you did."

Spottedlight's eyes searched his as if she thought he was joking. Finally, her jaw dropped open. "You mean you have no clue where she is?"

The warrior's flaming sunny gaze was making him uncomfortable. "It's not my fault," Thorntail defended himself. He cocked his head to the side, the memory still puzzling him. "I found her, and then I asked her some questions which she answered by nodding and shaking her head – she never said one word to me – and then she ran off..." His pelt prickled with annoyance as he recalled.

Swiftfoot and Sandpelt must have ended their lovey-dovey reunion, because the Thorntail felt the tabby's amber eyes burning into his fur as the deputy meowed, "Well, that was definitely ThunderClan's medicine Cat..."

Thorntail was confused to what Swiftfoot meant, until Sandpelt mewed, "Don't take it personally, Thorntail," while delicately resting her head on her mate's flank. "Rosepaw's emotionless. No matter what happens, she stays blank. She doesn't really talk to anyone..."

Thorntail stared nodded. Then he had found Rosepaw – she had seemed emotionless, blank, and she hadn't spoken to him...

Wait a heartbeat. Rose_paw_? But...there was only one medicine cat of ThunderClan. Rosepaw would need a mentor...but she didn't have one... That didn't make any sense.

His mind stopped wracking about as Spottedlight's fur started to bristle – something she wasn't known to do unless her mother, the ever annoying Robinwing was in her midst. The young she-cat meowed quietly, "That's not fair!" Spottedlight curled her tail and looked meaningfully at the two cats on the mossy-bed. "All medicine cats are shy!"

"I've spoken to medicine cats in other Clans," Swiftfoot spoke up. "See? I _spoke_ to them. That's more than I can say about Rosepaw."

"But...that doesn't make sense..." Thorntail meowed carefully. "If she's the medicine cat of ThunderClan...yet doesn't speak to us...how does she do...uh..." he struggled to find the right words. "How does she...you know...do medicine cat things?"

"Not very well." Sandpelt informed him. "When WindClan attacked the camp the other day - "

"You got a thorn in your pad because one of their warriors shoved you into the barriers of the camp," Thorntail recalled.

Sandpelt shot him an icy emerald glance, but didn't deny his words. "Well, _however _I got injured in that battle," she growled, "the fact of the matter is: Rosepaw didn't know what to do about it. She got jittery, panicked, and in the end it was Spottedlight who helped get it out."

"That's not Rosepaw's fault!" Spottedlight cried. "Flamesoul, her own mentor, left the Clan to run off with some kittypet-"

Spottedlight broke off as Swiftfoot meowed, "I thought it was a loner she-cat..."

"Was it?" Spottedlight shrugged her shoulders. "Well...whatever. That doesn't matter. The point is that her mentor, the only medicine cat ThunderClan had, _abandoned _her and the Clan to be with some cat that may or may not have been a kittypet..."

"It wasn't," Swiftfoot meowed helpfully.

Spottedlight seemed to ignore him, and continued as if Swiftfoot hadn't spoken, "...leaving her half-trained – long before you ever came to the Clan, Thorntail," she added quickly. "Rosepaw has to look after this whole Clan all by herself with only half of the skills most medicine cats have, and here you all are mocking her! And pardon my language here; I'm going to be vulgar... That's...that's...that's _not_ _nice_!"

Spottedlight's rant seemed to make Swiftfoot and Sandpelt keep their jaws closed, while Thorntail simply shrugged the information off. Okay, that explained why Rose_paw_ was the medicine cat of ThunderClan without a mentor. All that was very interesting, but now that he knew, he didn't particularly _care_.

Ignoring the calm banter that the other three cats in the den started to mull about it, Thorntail began to give his smoky-gray fur a few quick licks. On the way into camp, he hadn't taken the gorse tunnel – instead he had tumbled down the ravine. There were still flecks of grass and moss in his pelt. He stopped with his tongue still hanging out of his mouth, when his pale blue gaze rested on the creature lumbering into the den. He cringed, when he recognized the ebony-colored pelt with the ginger chest. It was Spottedlight's mother, Robinwing.

Thorntail stared blankly at the old she-cat. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if Robinwing was truly Spottedlight's mother and kin. Spottedlight was pretty, peaceful, and kind, where Robinwing was... well, not.

"In Rosepaw's den again, I see, Spottedlight..." Robinwing meowed, her green eyes narrowed into slits. She looked around curiously though her gaze did not even briefly flick towards the injured deputy. "Where's Rosepaw? Isn't _she_ the medicine cat?" Why Robinwing was being so sarcastic about this, Thorntail wasn't entirely sure.

"She ran off with a loner and-or a kittypet thing..." Thorntail recalled.

"No, that was Flamesoul." Spottedlight corrected, her gaze flashing towards Thorntail and then back towards Robinwing. "As for Rosepaw's whereabouts, we aren't particularly sure."

"So _you're_ taking the role of medicine cat?" Robinwing asked sarcastically, dipping her head so she could give her ginger chest a quick lick. "I thought you fell off that path after two lousy moons of training. And yet, you don't seem to ever be out of the medicine cat's den... Why don't you just take the rank of medicine cat and be done with it?"

A spark of memory flashed in Thorntail's mind, and he recalled hearing that Spottedlight had trained as a medicine cat...though it had been very brief.

Sandpelt's tawny-colored fur fluffed with excitement at Robinwing's sarcastic remark. "That's right, Spottedlight! You should be the full medicine cat of ThunderClan and teach Rosepaw everything!"

"Rosepaw trained under Flamesoul longer than I ever did before he kicked me out of training," Spottedlight retorted, and Thorntail stifled a purr. He had known that Spottedlight had trained as a medicine cat briefly, but he hadn't known that she had been forced out of training. She continued, "There's nothing I can teach her – except don't panic when taking a thorn out of a cat's paw, I guess... And, besides, a medicine cat can't have a mate..."

"But you've never had a mate," Swiftfoot pointed out. "Do you even want one?"

Thorntail shifted uncomfortably as the subject of Spottedlight's 'mate' came up. He expected the dappled she-cat to tell everyone the truth, but to his distain, Spottedlight seemed to take this time to examine her paws. Thorntail glared at her. Why was she leaving it to him to do this? "Spottedlight already had a mate," he admitted, not looking away from the pretty golden she-cat.

Robinwing's pale green eyes burned into his pelt, and he noticed her fur starting to bristle as she realized what he was saying. "You _would_ know about that, wouldn't you?" she growled.

"Well..." Thorntail drawled, "then again, I don't know if we could've really called ourselves 'mates'. It wasn't exactly anything special...we were both bored and it was night, we were at SunningRocks, and nobody was around...Okay, right. We weren't mates, we just happened to mate..."

Thorntail's plan seemed to work, because Spottedlight seemed eager to speak _now. _"Yes, I've had a mate _before_...and now Bearmoon's starting to pad after me and -"

Robinwing cut Spottedlight off with a fierce growl. "I didn't come in here to hear about how my daughter is exploring her Clanmates..." Robinwing paused for a moment, before she snapped her neck towards Thorntail and hissed, "...and river-rats...Instead, I felt I should remind my daughter dearest and the RiverClan warrior who thought he was ThunderClan that _we_ are supposed to patrol the ShadowClan border...now."

Robinwing certainly wasn't creative at all with her insults_. River-rat?_ Pathetic. Thorntail regarded the older she-cat for a few heartbeats, before he growled, "Sorry, Robinwing, but I can't patrol with you."

For a few moments, Robinwing didn't seem to understand what he meant. "Thorntail, the ShadowClan border needs to be watched even more carefully now that Swiftfoot- " Robinwing broke off, and was silent for a few heartbeats before growling, "What do you mean you _can't _patrol with me?"

"Elders shouldn't stray too close to enemy territory," Thorntail growled. Robinwing flinched, and Thorntail fought to keep his purr in his throat. As the eldest warrior in the Clan, he had assumed that age would be a sore spot for her. "You really should retire soon, Senior Warrior Robinwing. Your limbs must be getting stiff..."

Robinwing's eyes glinted, and she flexed her claws. "They're still supple enough to help me get you on the earth crying out for your mother..." Robinwing sheathed her claws once more, and regained her composure before she meowed, "Spottedlight, Thorntail, your Clan deputy Swiftfoot gave you an order to go on that patrol, and according to the warrior code you must...erm...patrol."

Thorntail looked at Spottedlight, half-expecting her to agree with Robinwing right then and there – and in truth, Thorntail agreed with her too. It was just too much _fun _to argue with the old cat – but she didn't. So Thorntail meowed, "But...Swiftfoot isn't deputy anymore. So I don't have to listen to anything he says. Uh...even if he said it yesterday."

The black-and-ginger she-cat's eyes rounded with shock, and she let out a soft hiss. Then suddenly she seemed to understand the matter fully, and she glanced at Swiftfoot. "What does he mean 'you aren't deputy anymore?'" she growled, trotting towards the former deputy, in the process knocking Thorntail into a stack of herbs.

Both the tomcat and the herbs toppled over, and while Thorntail struggled to his paws, he felt a small cuff on his ear. "So clumsy!" Spottedlight scolded, sounding like a true-blue medicine cat. She slowly began to gather up the herbs back into the tiny hill they had sat in, but stopped long enough to hiss, "Help me, Thorntail!"

Thorntail used a large gray forepaw to start to push some chervil root towards the warrior, but stopped when a peculiar scent entered his nostrils. He dipped his head, and sniffed suspiciously at a curious looking poultice. His eyes widened when he scented both darkness and water in the mixture. "Spottedlight," he asked, "what's this?"

Spottedlight didn't look up from trying to recreate the hill. "Rosepaw showed me that earlier. I think she was going to throw it away, but...I guess she didn't. The medicine cats of RiverClan and ShadowClan both gave her some herbs, and she tried to mix them together...but it didn't work."

Thorntail stared thoughtfully at the poultice. That scent...that curious mixture of ShadowClan and RiverClan scents reminded him so much of –

Robinwing looked up from speaking to Swiftfoot, and hissed, "Spottedlight, Thorntail. I'm going to stay here – you two find another cat or two and go on that patrol."

"But if I don't fix the mess Robinwing and Thorntail made, Rosepaw will have a lot of work to do...and she has enough already!" Spottedlight protested.

Robinwing pivoted around to her daughter, and parted her jaws most likely to scold her, but Thorntail cut her off with a flick of his tail. "I'll go," he meowed. "I'll find Gingerleaf and Blackshadow and take them." Even Robinwing didn't protest about that, and soon Thorntail was able to exit the den, his pelt prickling with excitement. The ShadowClan border. Where Swiftfoot had just been seriously injured earlier that day – though so far, the Clan did seem fairly calm about the whole matter...

His gaze rested on the night-pelted tomcat Blackshadow, who was slowly nibbling on a magpie on the other side of camp with a brown tabby. Thorntail opened his mouth to call for him, but before he could, he felt a tail-tip rest on his shoulder. He turned slightly and found himself staring into the pale green eyes of Sandpelt.

"Swiftfoot sent me to tell you not to do anything like your usual mouse-brained-self while you're out there," the tawny-colored she-cat meowed calmly.

Thorntail had to stifle a purr at that. "Why not?" he asked. "It's not like anyone would actually care if I died. Like you'd all mourn the 'river-rat', yes?" He chuckled at the thought, though Sandpelt didn't seem as amused, and just fixed him with a cold glare.

"I _hate _it when you talk like that," Sandpelt growled, lashing her tail to prove her point. "I know we've only been Clanmates for two moons, but I know I'd be heartbroken over your death. And so would Swiftfoot, and Spottedlight, and Robinwing – okay, maybe not _Robinwing_, but...your one friend Blackshadow..." Sandpelt shuffled her paws. "I know it sounds sappy, but it's true, you know... You sometimes act a little too recklessly...almost as if you aren't afraid of dying. But right now, with two Clans yowling for our blood...if you act like that, you very well could die. You may not care, but other cats do. Thorntail, there's always some cat out there who cares. Some cat who needs you. One day you'll find the cat who will think that your existence is the most important thing in the world. Maybe you aren't aware of them...or haven't met them yet, but it's true. Just, try to keep that in mind..."

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**YAY! Sandpelt gets to be philosophical again!I can't spell that word! WOOT!** **Anyways, see the differences? No, not in the droney chapter, moron! But in the story! Should I number them or something, just for fun...or would that be annoying? Hrm...Well, you saw the differences... And the droney-ness... And I think I try to copy Erin Hunter's sometimes-non-descriptive-style...but I ALWAYS try to do that...but usually it works out better than this. **

**Review and you get a...um... erk... Spottedlight...plushie? (I don't give out the main characters except on special occasions! YAY!) **


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